DISABLED train-users in Romsey are having to take a 35-mile detour into another county to reach Southampton - because there's no disabled access to one of the station's platforms.

Instead of jumping on a southbound train to Southampton from Romsey - an 11-minute journey - wheelchair-users must travel north to Salisbury, change platforms and then catch a train to Southampton Central, making a journey time of almost an hour and a half.

If they are coming from Salisbury, disabled people must travel to Southampton Central before changing platforms and heading for Romsey.

They are forced to take the unbelievable detour because the southbound platform at Romsey can only be reached by an underpass with 31 steps.

Disabled rights campaigners and a rail passenger pressure group are calling for action.

Even shadow transport minister Tim Yeo has visited the station and has pledged to take the matter further.

Chairman of Romsey Disabil-ity Forum, Janet Hoskins, 69, told the Daily Echo: "It's completely unacceptable for this to still be the case for a large town like Romsey.

"I know a disabled person who went on a shopping trip to Southampton and he came back absolutely exhausted. It's just not practical to travel all the way to Salisbury first. There's never anybody at Romsey station, so people in wheelchairs are left completely in the lurch."

Until a few years ago, wheelchairs could be taken across the tracks to the southbound platform, but because Romsey's 150-year-old station is now unmanned, that is no longer possible.

Wheelchair-user Anna Bates, who is on the Rail Passenger Council's southern committee, added: "It's not acceptable at all, but sadly it's the case for dozens of stations in the south.

"For example, I never go to Fareham because there's no way a wheelchair can get on or off the island platform." She urged Romsey residents to keep campaigning on the issue as Wessex Trains, responsible for the station, is due to renew its franchise in March 2006.

Wessex Trains business manager Anne-Marie Delrosa said there were plans in the pipeline to create a path to the southbound platform - but that would be years down the line.

"In the meantime, I'm happy to meet and talk with campaigners about anything we can do to improve things.

"Unfortunately, many stations on the network are in a similar situation. We do advise people to travel to the next station and come back again."

Conservative transport boss Mr Yeo has pledged to write to the chairman of Network Rail about the issue.